Havelock shooting: Three officers, suspect injured in confrontation

Richard Berry, suspect in the shooting of three Havelock police officers, is wheeled to an awaiting ambulance on Thursday. Berry was injured, but not by any of the responding police officers. Charges are pending against Berry, whose injuries were said not to be life-threatening.

Published: Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 06:03 PM.

The officers were identified as Lt. Brian Borton, Officer Loren Boone and Sgt. Jim Fahnestock. Their injuries are not life-threatening, according to Diane Miller, Havelock city spokeswoman.

The suspect, identified as Richard Berry, was also injured, but Miller said his injuries did not result from any shots fired from Havelock police officers and were also not life-threatening.

All four were transported to CarolinaEast Medical Center in New Bern. Borton and Boone were treated and released, while Fahnestock and Berry were still receiving treatment as of 5 p.m. Thursday, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Havelock police received a call about 12:20 p.m. Thursday about an armed person at 407 Webb Blvd. Miller did not say if that call originated from the house or elsewhere.

She said that as officers arrived, they heard gunshots and then entered the home. Miller said the officers did not see Berry, who was in a back bedroom with the door closed. They then heard another gunshot and talked to Berry through the closed door.

“He indicated that he was just going to stay in that room and bleed out,” Miller said of Berry. “Concerned for his safety, they (the officers) entered that room and had a confrontation with the suspect. His injuries were not as a result of the confrontation.”

The officers were identified as Lt. Brian Borton, Officer Loren Boone and Sgt. Jim Fahnestock. Their injuries are not life-threatening, according to Diane Miller, Havelock city spokeswoman.

The suspect, identified as Richard Berry, was also injured, but Miller said his injuries did not result from any shots fired from Havelock police officers and were also not life-threatening.

All four were transported to CarolinaEast Medical Center in New Bern. Borton and Boone were treated and released, while Fahnestock and Berry were still receiving treatment as of 5 p.m. Thursday, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Havelock police received a call about 12:20 p.m. Thursday about an armed person at 407 Webb Blvd. Miller did not say if that call originated from the house or elsewhere.

She said that as officers arrived, they heard gunshots and then entered the home. Miller said the officers did not see Berry, who was in a back bedroom with the door closed. They then heard another gunshot and talked to Berry through the closed door.

“He indicated that he was just going to stay in that room and bleed out,” Miller said of Berry. “Concerned for his safety, they (the officers) entered that room and had a confrontation with the suspect. His injuries were not as a result of the confrontation.”

Miller said the officers subdued Berry. She said she had no information on whether any of the officers fired their weapons during the incident.

She said the injured officers were shot in their lower extremities, hands or fingers.

Miller indicated there was a woman inside the home when the incident began but could not say whether she was inside the home when the officers entered.

As of Thursday afternoon, Berry had not been charged, but District Attorney Scott Thomas indicated charges could be brought Thursday night, and Berry could make a first court appearance on Friday morning. There is no information about a possible motive.

Miller said the State Bureau of Investigation had been called in because officers were injured in the shooting.

Havelock police and the department’s Special Response Team, Craven County deputies and Havelock Fire and Rescue responded to the scene. Miller said New Bern police were at the hospital providing additional security.

Borton had previously served as the school resource officer at Havelock High School, and he has played a role in the police department’s fundraising efforts for the North Carolina Special Olympics. He was on a lunch break at his home on nearby Forest Hill Drive when the call came in, and he was one of the first on the scene.

Boone is a 2007 graduate of Havelock High School, where he was on the wrestling team.

Fahnestock is a 20-year veteran of the Marine Corps and has been with the Havelock Police Department since 2008.